Markiplier Gets a Haircut
by disneypotter303
Summary: It was just a typical day at work for Tiana the beautician. But what happens one day will take her by surprise. This is my first fanfic, constructive criticism will be very much appreciated. I only own Tiana and Anita (and any other OC I create). No copyright infringements intended (just in case).
1. Chapter 1

Tiana slouched in the rolling chair in the back room of the salon. It was the first time she had sat down all day since she got to work that morning. Now, covered in hair, bones aching from being on her feet and cutting hair all day long, she chugged the water from her bottle. So desperate for rehydration, she emptied the bottle that was yet to even be opened merely seconds ago. She removed the mouth of the cup from her lips, closing her eyes from the refreshing taste of coolness on her dry tongue, sighed, and slouched more in the seat. She let her head hang back, feeling her neck muscles stretch and her back crack, letting painful relieve take over her body momentarily.

Lifting her phone to her view- without moving her head from its too comfortable position- she noticed that it was about time for her to leave for the day. She didn't even get a break yet. She sighed again, placing the phone back on the counter, and rubbed her forehead and closed eyelids momentarily.

"Tiana," Anita spoke around the corner, "it's your turn." Tiana muttered a reply. She thought she might as well do one more person before she had to leave for the day. Make a little more money that way.

She got up, straightened her shirt and pushed her side bang out of her face, only to have it fall right back in her face. She rolled her eyes just in time to turn the corner, walking past Anita. She put on her super-excited professional face and was about to greet the next customer to walk through the door; that is until she saw who it was.

He was about her height, had a kind smile, and a floof of dark hair on top of his head sticking out in all directions. Of course she knew exactly who the man was, but she just couldn't believe that he was standing in front of her. Tiana felt her face flush and her eyes grew wide. The man just kept smiling at her for a moment. Tiana felt the awkwardness in the air, and shook her head to get her senses together. She realized she was just staring at him, and not wanting to seem rude, she let out a quick apology while her face turned a light shade of red.

"Oh, that's okay," the man said, still smiling as he ran his hands through the floof, making it even more so. Tiana did the same to her bang to get it out of her face again, while at the same time tucking the rest of her hair behind her ear.

She cleared her throat, "Um… uh," she had to remember what she was doing. She shook her head again to get her head clear. "A-are you getting a haircut today?" she stuttered.

"Yeah," he answered, still wearing that same smile that always made her go weak in the knees.

"Okay," she started to return to her normal mantra she used when greeting customers. "Um, what was your name?" she asked out of force of habit as she stepped up to the computer. She internally kicked herself for asking it as soon as she did. She knew who he was, and she was sure that by the way she was behaving, he knew that she knew too.

However, whether or not this was true, the man continued to smile as he walked up to the front desk and answered her question. "Mark Fischbach." Now that he was closer to her, she noticed that he was not wearing his glasses, which only made his chocolaty brown eyes even more evident and mesmerizing. Also, that he was wearing the red plaid shirt which she thought looked the best on him from his videos.

"Of course, I knew that. I'm a big fan." She smiled as she typed in his name in the computer. As she did so, the moment felt so surreal. She was about to cut Markiplier's hair!

"Oh, thanks very much… um?"

"Tiana," she smiled again, tucking her hair behind her ear again. He nodded at her answer. She finished putting the information into the computer, and walked him to her station. She turned the chair around to face him, after checking to make sure there weren't any loose hairs on the seat or footrest, and he sat.

She cleared her throat as she turned him towards the mirror and walked around him to face him. She could still feel her heart pounding out of her chest. "So, what are we getting for you today?"

"Um… a haircut," he joked. Normally this kind of answer would drive Tiana up a wall. emOf course you're getting a haircut! /emShe would think to herself. emThat's why you're in my chair! What /emkindem of haircut are you getting though!/em But hearing this from Mark was different. Maybe it was because she knew he was saying it jokingly, and not completely seriously like almost all the other people would as they looked at her as if she was stupid. He said it with that same old, good-natured smile and sarcastic tone he would always use when he made bad jokes in his videos. She let out a small giggle, and responded with, "Okay, that narrows it down."

Now it was his turn to give a snicker. "But seriously," she continued, "how short do you want to take it? I know your floof is very important to your viewers… so," she smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair, noting how soft it had been; much softer than she had imagined it to be whenever she noticed it tended to be particularly wild in some of his Let's Plays.

Mark laughed again, "Oh, yes. I wouldn't want them to get mad I got rid of it."

After he told Tiana what he wanted for his haircut, she wrapped the cape around his neck and began with the fade. She noticed how good he smelled; not really like anything that she could put her figure on, just clean. "So, why are you in Virginia?" she asked out of pure curiosity. "I haven't heard of any kind of conventions around here."

"Oh, I'm actually on my way to the convention in New York. My plane landed in Norfolk, and I decided to stay with a friend for a couple of days and do some sight-seeing."

"Oh, that's cool. What places were you going to see?" Tiana was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Mark. She had thought she would just babble on like an idiot like she always did when she was around someone she really liked. However, her mind was clear- or as clear as it could be- and she was able to speak her thoughts openly. She finished with the clippers and began to spray down the floof in preparation for the cut.

"I'm not really sure about that part. I literally just got out of the airport about an hour and a half ago, I haven't even been to my friend's house yet." Tiana noticed how funny he looked with his hair flat against his forehead, but forced herself not to laugh as she took a towel and wiped away the drops of water from running down his face. This caused him to make eye contact with her, and her heart stopped for a second as he smirked at her big hazel eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Oh," she muttered as she continued to cut his wet locks. She was taking extra consideration on what she was cutting, making sure she wasn't taking too much off of his signature hairstyle. "Well, I do hope you like it here in Virginia, have you been here before?"

"No, but it is pretty nice here, especially around here. It seems nice and quiet."

"It is. Lots of nice people too. I live just around the corner; born and raised."

"Oh, wow. I bet you know all the best sights, then." Tiana felt a little apprehensive now. She loved being outdoors and nature, but she was also a big homebody. She didn't really know very many places in Virginia, at least not as much as she did in Tennessee, which she always considered her home away from home.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. I don't hang around the city a lot. I'm going to school right now, so I don't get much time to go other places. I mostly like to stay home anyway. You know, home is where-"

"The pants aren't," he finished for her with a smirk, "Well, maybe you could show me a few places you emdo/em go to." Tiana had finished his haircut, and was grabbing a hot towel from the warmer when he asked this. She turned back to him when she grabbed one and walked back to him, cooling the cloth in her hands by fanning it. She didn't really know what to say to his statement.

"It's really nowhere special, just places like the movies, the bookstore, stuff like that." She wrapped the towel around his neck and ears, letting the heat envelope him. She glanced at his expression in the mirror, and his eyes were closed like he was sleeping. She remembered that he was getting a haircut from her, and she wanted it to be a good one, so she started adding a little neck massage like she would for any of her guests, but she had it last a little longer than normal. She noticed that his neck was very tense, and his muscles relaxed as she continued kneading. When she finished, he let out a long sigh./p

"I take it was a long flight, huh?" she took the cape off of him and placed it along the back of the chair. He got up and stretched, "Yup, and another one coming up."  
Tiana excused herself for a moment and went to the break room. When she returned, Mark was still standing by her station, looking at himself in the mirror, running his hands through the now shorter floof.

"Does everything look good?" she asked him, hoping she had done a good job. She knew she was great at her trade, but her nerves were very much present during the task, even if it was surprisingly comfortable talking to him. This wasn't just anyone, Markiplier was a very important person. It had been the first time she had done a service on someone who was pretty much considered a celebrity.

"It's perfect, actually," he smiled at her through the mirror. She smiled back, her stomach twisting and her face turning as pink as the hints of the same color in her medium length auburn hair. She walked to the computer, sending the ticket labeled Markiplier- that was the first thing she had typed in- to the sales screen. Mark reached inside his pocket for his wallet, but was halted by Tiana saying, "Don't worry about it, on the house." She held up a few bills in her hand and put it in the register. Despite Mark's protests and insisting that he should pay for the cut, Tiana refused to accept it.

"Well at least let me make it up to you." He walked towards her and grabbed a blank card and a pen from the desk. He bent down and scribbled something on the card. He straightened up again and faced Tiana, who noted how close he was to her- she would almost say closer than they were merely moments ago when she was cutting his hair. He held out the card to her, which she took and pocketed it. She couldn't take her eyes off of the man in front of her. He looked so different than normally on a computer screen; even if he didn't have the haircut. He seemed much softer and handsome. She tucked her hair behind her ear yet again.  
Mark held out his hand to her, and she looked at it for a second. It was not often that people around here would offer to shake hands with her, with the exception of the occasions when she was meeting coworkers of the higher caliber. She reached out and shook his hand, not gripping it very tightly at all. He, on the other hand, had an almost crushing grip. He must have noticed by the way her grip was so delicate, as he had loosened his just before softly saying, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Tiana."

Tiana lifted her eyes to meet his at the sound of her name. There they lingered for a moment, their hands no longer shaking, but still clasping each other. Tiana had given up all hope of her face returning to its normal skin tone ever again. She swallowed one more time, and spoke much more quietly than she meant to, "It was a pleasure to meet you too, Mark." If Mark had not been just a few inches away from her, one would assume he never would have heard her. The two released hands and Mark exited the shop, not taking his eyes off Tiana until he felt the door handle against his back. He stumbled against it, breaking his eye contact with her briefly, before fumbling outside and closing the door behind him. Tiana couldn't help but chuckle at his silliness, trailing her eyes down back towards the card in her pocket.  
She pulled the piece of paper out in her hand, glanced at its scribblings, and instantly felt like screaming. She felt her stomach tighten up and her eyes widen again. She couldn't take her eyes off the words,

 **Call me when you get some free time for me to make it up to you.**

Just below the words were ten numbers that Tiana assumed to be his phone number. She read the words a few times to be sure what she was reading was what was really written. She made sure to put the paper securely back in her pocket, and just stood where she was. She watched the spot on the front door where Mark had just left, smiling contently to herself, and sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: The dark bold below means Mark's texts, the light blue means Tiana's. I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter. Please comment any constructive criticism you find necessary. Thanks.**

Chapter 2:

 _Tap, tap, tap._

Tiana tapped her eraser on the dining room table as she read the problem in front of her for the seventh time. _Find the standard deviation…_ Her eyes trailed off to her cell phone sitting next to her papers. She touched the screen to see what time it was. It glowed awake to reveal that it was 10:45pm. She had been doing statistics homework since she had gotten home from work at 7, after tying her hair in a messy bun and slipping on an old pink tank top, grey bottoms, and a white hoodie. She dropped her pencil on the table and rubbed her eyes in frustration; she absolutely hated statistics. She always did relatively well in any other math class, but this particular class was driving her insane. She never seemed to grasp the concept, and when she thought she had, it had escaped her memory the very next time the occasion called for it.

She rested her head in her hands and looked from the question to her phone again. She thought of taking a break and talking with Mark again. She had texted him earlier that day, asking him how his haircut he had gotten yesterday was doing. She smiled to herself, laughing at how dorky that sounded; she wasn't much of a flirter, so when she actually did, it always sounded forced and idiotic to her. He hadn't answered all day, but she figured he was just busy recording or something like that. She reached for the phone, but decided against it. She had to get her homework done tonight. It was due in the morning, and she was just a few problems shy. She read the question yet again, tapping her pencil on the table. She read the question once, and then glanced at her phone. She read the question another time, then glanced at her phone again, this time her eyes lingering on the device for a few seconds. She repeated this a few times, fighting with herself to stay on track and be productive. Unexpectedly, the phone played its alert ringtone, causing Tiana to jump a little in her seat.

She grabbed her phone and turned it on, seeing she had gotten a new text from the person she had wanted to talk to. She smiled to herself again as she read the words on the screen.

 **It's doing good. Still floofy xP How are you?**

 **Good, a little frustrated about homework right now, but I think I'm about done.**

Tiana started to clean up her books, but decided to just leave them where they were. She would most likely come back to them the next day anyway. But for now, all she wanted to do was take a nice hot shower and go to bed. She stood up and stretched her tight muscles, and her phone chimed again.

 **Sounds like you need a break. How about taking me up on my offer from yesterday?**

She really did want to have some fun, but not tonight. She could barely see anything besides math problems.

 **Sure, but tomorrow. I'm exhausted right now, and I have the day off tomorrow.**

As soon as she sent the message, almost instantaneously, Mark responded, startling Tiana.

 **Ok, sounds good. I'll see you then. Is 6 ok?**

 **Yes, that sounds fine. You can pick me up at work. See you then. Good night.**

 **Good night, Tiana.**

The sunshine poured through Tiana's window the next morning, waking her. As much as she hated waking up from a great sleep, she loved to see the sun in the morning. Especially during the fall when the sun did not stay out as long. Most people did not understand this about Tiana; it was too cheerful and bright first thing in the morning. But the way Tiana saw it, the best part about having a day off was not having to set an alarm the night before. The sun was a natural alarm clock that Tiana welcomed. It started her day off just right; a cloudy, dark day would have made her sleepier and kept her in the bed all day, and Tiana was a person who liked to have a productive day.

After getting out of bed, Tiana went to the bathroom and washed her face. She looked in the mirror and remembered the conversation with Mark last night. She smiled at her wild-haired reflection and shook her head in disbelief. She still couldn't believe that she had met Markiplier, _the_ Markiplier, just two days ago. She began to wonder just where it was that he wanted to take her, getting excited about the whole thing. After she woke up a little more, she opened the windows, noticing that it was the perfect weather for natural air conditioning, and made some breakfast: a big bowl of cereal. She sat at her computer and ate, listened to music, and checked some school information. Nothing new. She closed the browser and just listened to the music, enjoying the whiff of fresh air blowing in the house; it smelled like burning leaves, like fall.

When she finished breakfast, she decided to go for a walk, then come back and get ready for tonight. It was only 11:00am. That would be enough time.

When she came back home, she studied chemistry and finished the last few questions from her statistics homework; basically just putting any answer down, she was tired of having to think about the problem at this point. She took a quick shower and straightened her hair, emphasizing the pink. When she walked to her closet, she realized that she had no idea what to wear tonight. She didn't want to look too formal or too dowdy. It didn't help that she had absolutely no idea where she and Mark were going. She had texted Mark about the situation, but he never responded. After a while, Tiana decided to wear a lightweight burgundy sweater, dark-wash skinny jeans, and a pair of black flats. She didn't need to look any taller than anyone. Her height was always something that other people noticed and felt the need to draw attention to. Of course, it was mostly shorter people who did this, but she felt out of place at times. It was hard to find someone as tall as her, let alone someone taller, and being almost six feet tall was annoying, especially at work. She was always the one to clean the top shelves, put up signs, and have to hunch over to cut little children's hair.

Tiana even found herself putting on some makeup− which she never wore, not even at work. She chose a soft pink eyeshadow with a wine-colored liner, mascara, and a subtle lip balm that made her lips shiny.

Tiana left to go to the salon, and waited in her car for Mark. It had gotten a little chilly since sunset, and she stayed in the heated vehicle. She began to get nervous, her stomach swirling like it did a couple days ago when she had cut Mark's hair. She didn't know what she was more nervous about: going out with him, or just seeing him again. She began to run her hands together− out of coldness or nervousness she didn't know which. She glanced at the clock, 6:00. She looked around the area to see a car pull up next to her. Mark emerged from the car and Tiana followed.

"Hey," Mark smiled. Even in the moonlight his smile was contagious.

"Hi," Tiana replied through chattering teeth as she walked up to him. The night air caught her attention immediately, and she wrapped her arms around herself in a failing attempt for warmth. Her stomach tightened up and shook, again she wondered which sensation was causing this reaction. Her curiosity about where they were going got the best of her. "So where are we going?"

"A restaurant down the street. I saw it the other day when I came up here," he gestured to the salon behind them. "I'm actually really glad that there's one here, it's my favorite. There are games and great food there."

"That sounds great," Tiana nodded.

Mark gestured to his car. "Shall we?" Tiana curled her lips into a kind smile as Mark opened the passenger door to let her in. She took a deep breath as she stepped in the vehicle.


End file.
